Summary

The Internet and content marketing have changed rapidly in just a few years. This content marketing case study briefly tells the story of how an online boutique called BowWowsBest.com benefited from updates to the client's website and newsletter as well as increased, focused attention to social media.

Background and Challenges

Patti Hasner founded BowWowsBest.com in 2006 as an online dog boutique where she could gather in one place all the products she wanted for her adorable poodle, Samantha.

Patti’s sales had slowly and steadily declined due to increased competition on the Internet and extensive changes to the Internet, Google, search engine optimization, and online marketing practices in the last eight years.

Unfortunately, previous webmasters had not kept up with these changes. Therefore, Patti’s brand, website, email newsletter, and social media all needed updating. Given Patti’s budget constraints, I made improvements slowly over nine months.

Patti at first hired me in August 2013 as a newsletter writer and web master. When I started work, I found that her website and newsletter had not been updated to current best marketing practices. Soon, I became her marketing coach, online marketing strategist, and web writer, too.

Message Development

I realized that as a one-person company, Patti couldn't compete with large stores on the volume of marketing messages or slick style. So, I coached her to discover what makes her different in a crowded marketplace. We discovered that she offered quality products with a high level of personal, caring service for dog-lovers like herself.

I wrote the new tagline, "Exceptional service and attire to lavish your dog with love", which became "Lavish your dog with love" on her newsletter.

Then, I integrated the new message and tagline onto her website, newsletter, and social media.

“Holly helped me get clearer on what I do and what makes my business different. In getting clear on my values, skills, and personality that I bring to my business, and communicating that, I now focus even more on customer service. I feel confident that my quick, caring, and personal response to customers makes me more valuable to them than my competition.”

— Patti Hasner, Founder and Owner, BowWowsBest.com

Results Achieved

Email and Content Marketing

Sales from Patti's email newsletters tripled after I switched to MailChimp, changed the layout and design, and wrote articles and newsletter content in Patti's warm and fun style.

Her newsletters also achieved a 3.4% higher click rate than before at a rate 2.9 % higher than her industry average.

“The story that I love to tell is the one about the newsletters because I can't tell you how many times I told Holly that I only wanted product photos in them, but Holly knew better. She wanted more content because people want to know about you, and newsletters allow you to have more personal involvement.

"I slowly let her change the format. Now my newsletters present a story from me. As my son says, they now sound wonderful and personal. The newsletter reports show that people read my newsletters and click more. Sales from newsletters have gone through the roof.”

— Patti Hasner, Founder and Owner, BowWowsBest.com

Social Media Marketing

Patti's Facebook following grew by 316% in less than six months and attracted sales directed from the Facebook page.

After aligning her profile with her brand message and personality, I trained Patti on how to engage people and boost posts for visibility. Sometimes, I couldn't resist sharing sharing cute posts there, too.

Website Design, Writing, and SEO

Since Patti's website was nine years' old, quite old for the web, it needed modernizing.

I cut by 30% the number of people leaving her website from her Cart and eliminated the bounce rate from her Checkout page, so more people stayed to complete their purchases.

I also enabled the mobile version of her site, so people using tablets and phones could see and navigate the site easily and stayed longer.

“Holly’s updates turned my website into a bright, and new site that’s easier for customers to use without spending a lot of money on a total re-design. I get wonderful feedback from people who tell me how fabulous the changes are to my website.”

— Patti Hasner, Founder and Owner, BowWowsBest.com

Discover how you could attract more clients with integrity

Contact me today for a complimentary consultation. We’ll discuss your business, goals, and obstacles and see how I can help. If we both think we’d be a good match, I’ll tell you how I work. There’s no obligation.

Hi! I'm Holly Genser. I help discerning professionals, leaders, and executives to stand out as quality candidates through custom career coaching and writing services. Coaching services include strategies for decision clarity, job search, and interviews. Writing services include branded résumés, LinkedIn profiles, and bios.

I also help career services professionals and solopreneurs prosper with integrity via web pages, email newsletters, and productivity tools.